


Overwatch U: The Untold Chronicles

by NotAWerewolf42



Series: NotAWerewolf's One-Shots [3]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, But it is not told explicitly, Disabled Character, F/F, First Meetings, Friendship/Love, Gérard Did Something Bad to Amélie in the Past, Meet-Cute, Moira is Lena's (Adoptive) Mother, Mute!Lena, Mute!Tracer, Muteness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-14
Updated: 2018-12-14
Packaged: 2019-09-17 20:47:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,395
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16981536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotAWerewolf42/pseuds/NotAWerewolf42
Summary: “Here we go again,” Amélie thinksThe first day of another year at one of the UN’s university campuses. Amélie Guillard is intrigued by the cute first-year student in her Art History class. But what does that mean for the woman who has shut out her emotions? And why doesn’t she talk?University/College AU where Amelie is an art student who meets fellow student Lena, whom is mute.





	Overwatch U: The Untold Chronicles

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Lena & Amélie Hide Their Relationship](https://archiveofourown.org/works/13603701) by [NotAWerewolf42](https://archiveofourown.org/users/NotAWerewolf42/pseuds/NotAWerewolf42). 



“Here we go again,” Amélie thinks.

Another year at Overwatch U. The United Nations had created several campuses around the world to encourage increased education. Free tuition, plenty of job openings, plus an impressive roster of professors encouraged many to flock to these centres of higher learning. Amélie Guillard was one of these students.

Inside her first class of this semester, Amélie finds a diverse group of students, with notebooks and laptop out and engaging in idle chatter, waiting for the prof to arrive. She begins her walk to an empty seat, pretending not to notice the stares of students as she passes them. Several men watch her, some with sideways glances, others outright gawping.

What intrigues Amélie, is the girl in the front row who seems to be enraptured by her. She has short brown hair, spiked up. She’s shorter than Amélie, and wearing a brown RAF leather jacket.

When she notices that Amélie is looking right at her, the brown-haired girl turns away blushing. Amélie quickly takes a seat not far from the girl, hearing the professor beginning to set herself up.

As Amélie pulls out her laptop, she sees a man sitting near the front of the classroom facing the students. Amélie wonders if he’s a TA, when the professor speaks up.

“Hello students,” the dark-skinned woman with an Iris tattoo under her one good eye begins. “I am Ana Amari, and I’ll be your professor for History of Art.”

A fairly simple course, Amélie had assumed when she signed up for it. But given her history with Ana, and the dirty look she’s getting from the professor, Amélie quickly realizes that this isn’t going to be easy.

Ana continues the class over the course of an hour, outlining the syllabus and gauging her students’ knowledge of the subject. Amélie tries to pay attention, but finds herself continually returning her gaze to the brunette in the front row. 

When Ana asks a question, the entire class tries to avoid looking directly at her. Except for the girl in the front row, who raises her hand.

“Yes?” Ana calls.

And Amélie watches the girl make a series of motions, that the man in the front watches intently. “Baroque,” he says aloud.

“Very good, miss?”

Again, she makes a series of gestures, which Amélie suddenly realizes are signs.

“Oxton.” the interpreter says.

“Miss Oxton.” Ana says with confidence, before resuming her discussion on the timeline of art history.

_ "So she’s deaf,” _ Amélie thinks to herself. “ _ But then, the interpreter isn’t signing throughout the lecture, only talking when she signs. Mute then?” _

She finds herself so caught up in thinking about the woman that she barely notices when class ends. She also fails to recognize herself walking towards the intriguing woman. “ _ When did I?”  _ she thinks, standing nearly right beside the brunette.  _ “I don’t see the interpreter, will I be able to talk to her? Why am I even trying to talk to her? _ ”

The brown-haired girl finally notices Amélie standing near her, seemingly lost in thought looking towards her. She waves at Amélie, regaining her attention.

Amélie snaps herself out of her reverie. “Hello.” 

The girl moves her hands about. “I do not know any sign language. Sorry.”

The girl picks up a tablet computer from where she had been sitting, and taps a few things, before turning the screen to face Amélie. “Hello! I’m Lena, you?” is typed out in a word processor.

“Amélie.”

“That’s a pretty name! What program are you in?”

Amélie blushes. “Fine art.”

“Right on! I’m an animation major,” Lena writes. “So, what can I do for you?” 

Amélie still isn’t sure why she’s come over to talk to Lena, but she quickly comes up with a reasonable-enough excuse. “I was wondering if you’d like to be my partner for the end-of-term presentation.”

Lena smiles wide and gives a thumbs up. “Never too early to get started!”

“Indeed.” Amélie smiles back. “Perhaps we could begin brainstorming soon?”

“Sure!”

The two work out a time where they both don’t have class, and Amélie gives Lena directions to her apartment. She walks away, and still isn’t sure why she talked to the girl in the first place.

* * *

 

“Come on araña _ ,  _ this is crazy!”

Sombra watches Amélie place another pile of dishes on the counter in beside her, the Latina already up to her elbows in suds. The older woman had been cleaning the apartment like it had never been cleaned before (which, Sombra recalled, it never really had). And she had strong-armed the younger woman into helping.

“They are dishes, Sombra. Mostly your dishes. It's not that difficult.”

“Why are you doing this to me?!” Sombra moans.

“As I have said several times, a classmate is coming over to help plan for the term presentation.”

“Why does Gabriel get off scot-free?” Sombra asks, gesturing to their third roommate’s open door, where the man in question was, as usual, sitting in near darkness playing Fortnite on his PC, oblivious to the world around him.

In truth, Amélie had forgotten the man had even been there, but she came up with an excuse anyway. “Gabriel doesn’t let his messes leave his bed room.” That it was because he rarely left was left unsaid between them.

“Look, I just don't get why you're starting so early. Class just started.”

“ _ Some  _ of us like to get started on our work before the last minute.”

Sombra was indignant. “I get it done, don't I?”

“Remember when you had to hack Dr. Winston’s email to make it appear you had handed in your term paper on time”?”

Sombra smirks. “Like I said, I get it done.”

Amélie rolls her eyes, mutters something under her breath, and returns to dusting. Sombra continues in silence for a few seconds.

“So what’s this girl like? Beyond the whole...” Sombra mimics a few signs with her hands. “...thing.”

“I don’t know, I just met her. And don’t do that when she’s here.” Amélie pauses, and tries to imagine Sombra interacting with Lena. “Actually, don’t even be here when she’s here.”

Sombra quirks an eyebrow. She wants the place to herself? “Is she cute?” she says, turning to look at Amélie.

Amélie freezes, briefly, but Sombra catches it. “How should I know?”

‘Bingo’ she thinks. “OooOo, Amé has a crush!”

“Sombra, no…” she tries to stop the younger woman, but it’s too late.

“HEY GABI! AMÉ HAS A CRUSH ON THE MUTE GIRL!” she shouts, giggling, to the Latino, who gives a grunt of acknowledgement.

“Sombra…” Amélie repeats, anger creeping in.

“Hey, knew you liked the strong-and-silent-type, but this is a bit extreme!”

“Olivia.” 

Sombra winced. Amélie doesn’t use her real name frequently, but when she does, Sombra knows she’s messed up. “Sorry, that was too far.”

“Oui _ , _ it was.” Amélie didn’t even realize she had approached Sombra, but she supposed her height would add to the natural intimidation factor as she stood looking down on her.

“Sorry.”

A few moments of silence pass, as they both avoid looking each other in the eyes. “I’m happy for you Amé. It’s about time you moved on, it’s been nearly a year since…”

Amélie cuts across her words harshly. “Don’t say his name.”

“I know, I know.” Sombra holds her hands up placatingly. “I just...I’m worried about you sometimes. After...that… you tried everything to cut yourself off. But you can’t let it, let him, control you forever. It’s time you made some better memories. And maybe with this cute girl?”

Amélie considers this wordlessly. It had been a long time since Gérard. And what Sombra was saying  was at least partially true: she had tried to shut out her emotions, trusting no-one except for her two roommates.

Sombra hopes her friend’s silence was a positive. “I didn’t hear you say she wasn’t cute.” She states hopefully. And then Amélie does something she hadn’t in some time: she smiles.

The doorbell chimes.

“Speak of the devil,” Sombra says.

And Amélie opens the door to the apartment, revealing a smiling Lena, who gives the frenchwoman a wave.

“Bonjour, Lena.”

Lena peaks around Amélie, and sees Sombra. “Hõla.”

Amélie sighs. “This is Sombra, my roommate,  _ who was just leaving _ .”

Sombra tries to suppress a laugh. “Don’t worry, me and Gabi were just heading out. Right Gabi?”

“Still in game. Top 10.” Gabriel replies from his room.

Sombra wonders over, and takes a look at the man’s screen. “You’re about to die.”

Not two seconds pass, before Lena and Amélie hear a drawn out shout. “SOOOOOMBRAAAAA!”

“Come on Mr. Edgy, let's go bother your boyfriend.” Sombra says as she drags Gabriel outside. Lena and Amélie hear a, “He’s not my boyfriend,” as the door shuts behind them.

Amélie sighs. “Those two are going to be the death of me.” Lena silently chuckles, and Amélie finds her face heating up. “Take a seat,” Amélie says, directing Lena to the freshly cleaned table.

* * *

 

The two quickly work out their plan for the presentation, at least in rough. Lena uses her tablet computer to ‘talk’ with Amélie. The two quickly find themselves just hanging out. Amélie solidifies her ‘mute, not deaf’ theory when Lena hears Amélie approaching from behind to bring her a mug of tea.

“Cheers love,” Lena writes after setting down the mug.

“De rien.”

Lena takes a long drink of her tea, which she insisted have 3 spoonfuls of sugar and be extra milky.

“So,” Amélie begins, “this is your first year here?”

Lena nods affirmatively.

“Why choose Overwatch, if you do not mind?”

“Well, my mum works in the science department, so I never had much of a choice.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, she’s a geneticist, top of her field and all that. We actually came over here from London cause she got the offer to do research for them.”

Amélie recalls the push-back she received from her parents when she announce she was going for an art program. And her parents weren’t top scientists. “She wasn’t, em,  _ disappointed _ , that you went into animation?”

“Nah, she was happy when she learned how much maths were involved. Plus she’s a giant anime fangirl, so I think she was more disappointed I was interested in western animation.”

“...Huh,” Amélie pondered.

“So, your roommates…”

“What of them?”

“They seem interesting.”

“A pair of nuisances. I think you’ll find.” Lena gestures for Amélie to go on. “Sombra is more than curious, she is outright intrusive. She will hack into people's technology for fun, and prank them with the dirt she finds. And Gabriel listens only to metal, wears only black and is only alive at night. He could not be more edgy if he was a knife.”

At this, Lena burst into a bout of quiet laughter, breathing in and out rapidly. Amélie finds herself laughing alongsider her.

“You know them well then?” Lena writes after she finishes. 

“Yes, I’ve know them since high school. Us and…” Amélie’s words falter. It had been so long since they had met, that Amélie forgotten the other person that had been a part of their crew.

Lena's face is one of concern. “Are you alright?”

“Sorry, I was just reminded of…”

There are tears in Amélie's eyes. She tries to force herself to stop, but they're coming full force now. When was the last time she cried like this? When did she last let herself be vulnerable.

She wants to open her mouth, to apologise to this woman she barely knows for crying so openly but she can't.

She doesn't see it but she feels it: a pair of warm arms encircling her. It makes her feel safe.

They are like this for some time, Amélie's sobs dying as Lena holds her. When Amélie's eyes begin to dry, Lena releases her, and she reaches for her tablet.

“Sorry for not asking, I just felt you needed a hug.”

“I'm sorry Lena, you are a stranger, and I couldn’t stop it...”

“Don't apologize, it's okay. Do you want to talk about it? You don’t have to if it will make you uncomfortable.”

Amélie considers this. “...There was someone I cared about. Someone I trusted. He...did something. Something that hurt me for a long time. And now I can’t even remember the good times the four of has had together, without thinking of what he did. And I hadn’t thought of him in so long, I thought I had buried it.”

“I’m sorry I brought it up then Amélie, I wasn’t trying to.”

“You did not know Lena. It’s not your fault. I want to get past it. I’ve tried. But I never seem able to.”

“You know, a movie I saw once had some good advice about this kind of thing.” Amélie waits for Lena to continue. “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. But today is a gift; that is why it is called the present.”

Amélie chuckles. “What foolish film said that, it sounds like something a fortune cookie would say.”

Lena looks mock-indignant. “Hey! Kung Fu Panda is a great movie!”

And Amélie bursts into laughter. “Kung Fu Panda! That is a children’s film!”

“I love Kung Fu Panda!”

When Amélie’s laughter dies off, she finds Lena smiling at her. “Better?”

“Thank you Lena.”

* * *

 

The notes of a song Amélie doesn’t recognize is the cue for Lena to pack her things. “That’s my mum. I gotta head back to campus, she’s driving me home.”

Amélie nods, and when Lena has packed her possessions, short of the tablet, and Amélie has put away the dishes the two have accrued, they meet at the door. 

“This was great! I can’t wait to work on this project properly with you!”

“Oui. This has been enjoyable.”

Lena spreads her arms, and after a moment of hesitation, Amélie goes in for the hug.

When Lena begins to walk down the stairs of the apartment building, Amélie realizes she also cannot wait to spend time with the woman. And maybe Sombra was right.

“Lena.” Amélie says, getting the brunette’s attention. “Would you, perhaps, care to join me for coffee sometime? As, you know… a date?”

Lena smiles, nods her head vigorously, and gestures to her phone, which Amélie got the number for earlier.

“Good. I will text you. Adieu chérie.”

And as Lena retreats from Amélie’s view, she has another thought.

‘I need to learn Sign language’

**Author's Note:**

> Can you tell that I enjoy mute!Lena?
> 
> -NotAWerewolf42, beta’d by nival_kenival
> 
> Araña (Spanish) - spider  
> Oui (French) - yes  
> Bonjour (French) - hello  
> Hõla (Spanish) - hello  
> De rien (French) - you’re welcome  
> Adieu (French) - goodbye  
> Chérie (French) - dear/ sweetheart (though if you’re reading Widowtracer fics you probably know that)


End file.
